Kingdom Hearts: Shadow of the Slenderman
by Kutlessrocker
Summary: Riku's annual halloween party is going great...until someone turns up dead.  Can Sora, Riku, and Kairi get to the bottom of this before more blood is shed?  Rated M for gore.  No language, just tons of gore.  Sora/Kairi, Riku/Namine, Roxas/Xion.
1. October 31st, 2011

Author's Note: I thought I'd take a shot at a horror story. I've written a creepypasta, but this will be a little better quality than that creepypasta. I've got to warn you, if you don't like gore, turn back. That's why I rated it M. No language or sex scenes. Just a little of the old ultraviolence. It gets decently graphic after a while. But if it doesn't bother you, enjoy the story. Sora's point of view this time.

* * *

October 31st, 2011.

Riku always threw the best Halloween parties. Everyone came dressed in their colorful costumes. I was dressed up as Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas. My girlfriend, Kairi was Sally from that same movie. Riku was Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist while his girlfriend, Namine, was Winry Rockbell from the same show. Roxas and his girlfriend, Xion, were Romeo and Juliet.

It wasn't all couples though. Axel was dressed up as a clown. Hayner was a cowboy, Pence was Jason Voorhees, and Olette was a princess. I thought I saw a tall man in a black suit standing outside, looking through the window, but when I looked again, he was gone.

"Come on Sora, dance with me!" Kairi said.

"Ok, but you know I can't dance," I said. Kairi had long, red hair and violet-blue eyes. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever known. We had been dating for 3 years now and we would be graduating together that year. Riku, Axel, and Xion had graduated last year. Roxas, Namine, Kairi, Olette, and I were going to be part of the last graduating class of Radiant Garden High before all of the small, local schools consolidated into Kingdom Hearts Central High. We were glad to be getting out of there before the switch to the new school because Radiant High, Neverland High, and Agrabah High were in a bitter football rivalry and we all knew the fights that were going to happen.

Kairi and I danced to the song, "Tonight", by Enrique Iglesias. I was surprised I didn't step on her feet. When the song was over, we went to the food table and got some pizza.

"This party is so awesome!" Kairi yelled over the music.

"Yeah, I know," Roxas yelled back. "Hey, have you guys seen Zexion and Larxene?"

"No, they're probably making out or something," I yelled. They would always disappear, no matter where we were. They always got in trouble at school for too much PDA (public display of affection). Roxas and I decided to go upstairs to Riku's room and check to see if they were there. Roxas knocked on the door a few times…no answer. He slowly turned the knob to open the door.

What I saw when Roxas opened the door made me want to puke my guts out. Zexion and Larxene had been skinned alive! Their skin lay in a heap next to a neatly-stacked pile of their bones and a pile of their organs. The only way we could tell it was them was because their heads were lying on the bed in a puddle of blood. The smell of death was thick in the air. Zexion's eye had been gouged out; it was actually the eye that was normally covered by his bangs. Their bloody, torn costumes were neatly hung in the open closet. Whoever had killed them tried to make the scene as theatrical as they could. It was almost like a calling card. Zexion and Larxene must have seen their killer coming because their faces were frozen in absolute terror.

"Oh my God!" Roxas screamed. "Who could have done something like this?" He turned and ran for Riku's bathroom to throw up in the toilet.

"I don't know, Roxas. What I'm wondering is how he could have gotten up here without being seen," I said. There were at least twenty people downstairs. Then again, we were all preoccupied with the party. Someone could have sneaked through the backdoor, walked up the stairs, and killed them without us noticing.

"You go tell everyone else. I don't feel so good," Roxas said as he turned back to the toilet for another heave of pizza, Pepsi, and stomach acid.

"Ok, I'll be back," I said. I was afraid to leave Roxas alone up here, but from the way the scene looked and how it smelled, the killer had to be long gone by now.

I practically jumped down the flight of stairs. I ran over to Riku's sound system and turned the music off. "Someone call 911! Zexion and Larxene have been murdered!" I yelled. Everyone went into a panic. They all dialed the police at the same time. Kairi and Namine ran over to me.

"What happened?" Kairi asked. "Who killed them?"

"Is the killer still here?" Namine said, her blue eyes stricken with fear.

"I don't know," I replied. "Their bodies have been completely mutilated." The thought of the scene made my stomach churn sickeningly. "Their organs, skin, and bones are all separated into piles and their heads are on Riku's bed!"

"Oh, man! We're all gonna die!" Axel screamed.

"We are not going to die, Axel," I said. "The killer is probably long gone by now because by the smell of it, they've been dead for a while."

"My brother is dead?" Kadaj screamed. Kadaj was Zexion's older brother. He looked a little like him, but his hair was silver while Zexion's was blue.

"I'm sorry, Kadaj," I said. He ran over to the corner and started crying. His younger brother was the only family he had left. Their mother was in a mental hospital and their father, Sephiroth, was on death row for killing our old teacher, Aerith Gainsborough. I felt sorry for him because he was all alone. We had to find out who killed Zexion and Larxene.

Riku called his parents and told them about what happened. They couldn't come home right away because they were both across the country on business. They were the owners of a large company. Riku's family was rich, but he never let it get to him. He was more down-to-earth than anyone I'd ever met. "They said for everyone to stay together," he said. "Wait until the police get here and then do as they say."

"I'm so scared, Riku!" Namine said. She buried her face into his long, red coat. We were all still in our costumes because we didn't have anything else to change into. Kairi walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Hold me, Sora!" she said. She cried into my chest. Larxene was her closest cousin. They always hung out together. If Kairi wasn't with me, she was with Larxene.

"I'm here for you, baby," I said reassuringly. I was beginning to get a bad feeling about all of this. Something told me that it wasn't an ordinary human that killed them. I thought back on what had happened just before the party.

* * *

"Come on guys, let's hurry up and do this," Kairi said. She had bought a Ouija board and wanted to try it out. I wasn't too sure about it, but I went with her anyway. Larxene, Zexion, Riku, Roxas, Xion, Namine, and Axel came with us. We went into the basement of an old, abandoned house in our neighborhood. Rumors were that a witch lived there, but died eighteen years ago. There were drawings all over the basement walls. There were strange symbols all over the walls. Some of them were pentagrams, but I didn't recognize some of the others.

"What should we ask it first?" Namine said. Her voice was very shaky and she was breathing heavily. I could tell she was afraid. Riku wrapped his arms around her tightly. She relaxed in his embrace.

"How about we ask if there's anyone there first," Kairi said. We all placed our hands on the little magnifying glass thing and Kairi asked if someone was there. The magnifying glass shifted to "Yes". I was seriously freaked out. I normally didn't believe in that kind of thing, but I knew that none of us had pushed it. "Ok, who is there?" she asked. It spelled out "I'm not telling". We all took our hands off of it and Kairi said, "Let's go guys, I'm getting scared!" The thing started moving on its own. It spelled, "No escape, you will all die."

"I think we should get out of here, Kairi!" Namine said.

"Yeah, let's go," she said. We all practically ran home and got dressed in our costumes for the party.

* * *

The police arrived soon and questioned each of us about what we saw. None of us saw anything so we were let go pretty early. But the memories of that party would haunt us forever, and our troubles were just beginning.

Kairi asked if she could spend the night with me because her parents were out of town and she was scared. I said yes and she grabbed a few things from her house. Riku was staying with me too because his house was now a crime scene. We ordered a few pizzas and watched a few movies on Netflix. It felt comforting to have my best friend and my girlfriend there with me. My parents were on a second honeymoon and wouldn't be home for another few days. They told me they would try to get home as soon as possible when I called them and told them about Zexion and Larxene.

Kairi fell asleep on my shoulder after a few episodes of the Devil May Cry anime. She didn't really like it, but Riku and I were really into it. We had played and beaten all of the games. I carried Kairi up to the guest room that she would be staying in. She woke up when I placed her on the bed.

"Sora, where am I?" she asked.

"I brought you to your room. You fell asleep in the middle of the show," I said. "Goodnight, Kairi. I love you."

"Goodnight," she said. "Love you too." She fell back asleep as soon as she finished her sentence. I walked back downstairs to Riku and sat on the couch next to him while we finished the anime.

"What do you think happened to them, Riku?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. "It just doesn't make sense. Who would want to kill Zexion and Larxene?"

"Riku, you remember the Ouija board? It said, 'you will all die'. I wonder if whatever we contacted is what killed them," I said.

"Maybe," he said. I decided that I would research it the next day.

The rest of the night was a blur. We finished all of the episodes of Devil May Cry. Riku went to bed at around 2 AM. I stayed up a little longer to clean up and went up to my room afterward. I still had my bunk bed from when I was little and I slept on the top bunk while Riku slept on the bottom bunk. I didn't fall asleep until about 4. My mind kept racing. Two of my friends had been brutally murdered. I couldn't help but think about the haunting message the Ouija board said. "No escape, you will all die." I wondered who would be next. Two of us were already dead. That just left me, Riku, Kairi, Xion, Roxas, Namine, and Axel. My worried mind finally gave in to its desire to sleep, but I didn't sleep peacefully.

* * *

I had the worst nightmare I had ever had in my life. I was standing in the middle of a forest with Riku and Kairi. At the end of the trail that led out of the forest, there was a very tall man in a black suit blocking our way out. He had no face from what I could tell. Dozens of black tentacles were squirming from his back. Riku charged at the man before I could stop him. Riku tried to jump up and grab the man's face, but many of his tentacles impaled Riku through the chest and stomach. Blood was pouring from his mortal wounds like a dozen crimson waterfalls. The monster tossed Riku's dead body off to the side and teleported over to Kairi. It picked her up by her neck with one tentacle. The thing started to squeeze her neck, cutting off her air supply. Kairi struggled to get free, but suddenly just stopped. Her face was purple, her body went limp, and her fingers were twitching. She was dead. The monster then grabbed her arms with two of its other tentacles, ripped her head off with the one that was around her neck, and then ripped her body in half right before my eyes! I tried to turn and run, but my body wouldn't move! I was trapped. The man plunged a tentacle into my stomach and I reeled back in pain. It was just about to finish me off when I woke up.

* * *

Author's Note: hey, guys. How do you like it so far? Riku dressing up as Edward Elric for the party comes from how if I ever went to an anime convention, I'd dress up as either him or Ed because they're both my favorite characters from their respective franchises. I also thought it would be cool to include Kadaj from Advent Children. I keep wishing that he would be in a Kingdom Hearts game :). And finally, they are watching Devil May Cry because that's what I was watching when I typed this. I hadn't decided on what they would watch before I started typing it out. I could actually see Sora and Riku enjoying Devil May Cry. If you haven't watched it, it's great. It only lasted for 12 episodes though :(. I hope you enjoyed this and be patient for the next chapter. Until next time, friends...

I own none of the characters. Slenderman was a popular creepypasta long before I ever heard of him.


	2. The Bloodlust of The Rake

Author's Note: Hello again. I'm really enjoying writing this story. But I'm a big fan of horror mysteries. I did not create the character of Slenderman. He's just one of my favorite creepypasta monsters. The best is yet to come. Thank you to all of you who read this story and will continue to support it in the future. Authors live on readers. It makes us feel good to know that people enjoy our work. Thank you again. I should probably shut up and let you get on with the story. lol. Here's chapter two.

* * *

I woke up covered in sweat. I could see daylight outside and looked at the clock. It was 10 AM. Riku wasn't in the bed below me. He and Kairi were probably downstairs, getting breakfast. I climbed down the ladder to the floor. I shuffled to the bathroom and took a shower. The steamy water did nothing to clear my mind from the nightmare. I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I put on a black Nirvana t-shirt and ripped jeans before walking downstairs to get some breakfast.

Riku and Kairi didn't look much better than I did. They both had dark circles under their eyes. Riku was wearing a navy t-shirt and dark jeans. Kairi was wearing a light blue Skillet shirt (the one with the small monster that says, "I feel like a monster") and a matching miniskirt. Kairi was staring out the window with a cup of black coffee in her hands. "Hey guys, good morning," I said.

"Good morning, Sora," Kairi said. She stood up kissed me softly before sitting back down at the table.

"Good morning," Riku said.

"I had the worst nightmare last night, guys," I said. "We were in the middle of a forest. There was a tall man in a black suit standing at the exit, and he killed both of you. He tried to kill me, but I woke up."

"I had that same dream," Kairi said, "but he killed you and Riku before he tried to kill me and I woke up."

"Same here, only he killed both of you," Riku said. "This is seriously messed up guys." Riku looked genuinely scared. His emerald eyes were worn with fear.

"At the party, I saw a guy in a black suit that looked just like the guy in our dreams. Do you think he's the one that killed Larxene and Zexion?" I said.

"Maybe," Kairi said. "And if he is, what are we gonna do? You saw what he did to them, Sora!" She stood back up and wrapped her arms around me. She cried softly into my shirt.

"Let's do some research on it today. Maybe we aren't the only ones who have seen this," Riku said.

"Good idea, Riku," I said. "Whatever it is, we must have summoned it with that Ouija board. And if we don't stop it, it's going to kill us too! And not only us, but Roxas, Xion, Namine, and Axel! It said, 'you will all die', I don't think that meant just a few of us. He meant ALL of us!"

"Well, let's get started," Kairi said.

I got out my laptop and started searching for anything like what we saw. There were all kinds of articles, but not what I was looking for. An obscure series of blogs caught my attention. The blogger talked about seeing a tall, faceless man in a black suit with long arms and millions of black tentacles. He said that the monster was toying with him. It was trying to torment him. The last post was disturbing:

_"This will be my last post. I fear that my life is over. The sadistic demon that I've come to know as 'Slenderman' seems to be finished playing with me. He doesn't leave dead animals on my doorstep anymore, he doesn't break my windows anymore, and he doesn't cut me up in my sleep anymore. When I wake up in the middle of the night, he just stands there at the foot of my bed and watches me. I fear that he is no longer amused with my suffering and is going to dispose of me. Goodbye friends. I only pray that, if he does kill me, it will be quick. But you all know that I'm not counting on that. Farewell friends, and may God have mercy on my tormented soul!"_

The entry was published at 11:45 PM on September 24th, 2010. I searched his name and found his obituary. The date of death was midnight on September 25th, 2010, fifteen minutes later. Our only possible lead was dead. I searched for more things like this. There was the odd forum post and blog, but nothing really helpful. I decided to try again later.

"Did you find anything useful, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"The only good, solid thing I could find was a blog, and I think the author is dead," I said. "But we do have a name for the monster. He called it 'Slenderman'."

"Well, I just know everything will be ok," she said. I could tell that she didn't really believe her words. Her big, beautiful, violet eyes said it all.

I placed my right hand on her cheek and my left hand on her waist and said, "I just want you to know, Kairi, that if anything happens, I love you so much." Tears were starting to well up in my eyes. This…thing could come and take her away from me forever and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it! I saw what it did to Zexion and Larxene. Any one of us that was present for the Ouija board summoning could be the next target for the demon's wrath.

"I love you too, Sora," she said. She looked at me with loving eyes. I kissed her passionately; letting all of my soul pour into that kiss because it could be our last. I didn't want any regrets if she were to be killed by Slenderman. I hated that sick piece of crap. I wanted to kill Slenderman for killing two of my friends and threatening to kill all of us. I wanted to send him back to Hell where he belonged! But I knew I couldn't do it by myself. I didn't even know how to fight him! He turned Zexion into beef jerky for heaven's sake! How was I supposed to fight it?

Kairi and I went back into the kitchen with Riku. He was taking a day off from work and Kairi and I were excused from school because of the traumatic event we had just gone through. We would be together for the rest of the day. We decided to try to do something normal and go to the mall.

The mall was about 4 minutes away by car. We got into Riku's black, 2011 Cadillac Escalade, picked up Namine, who was excused from school as well, and headed down the road to the mall. When we arrived, Kairi and Namine insisted that we go to American Eagle to check out their new clothes. Riku and I didn't mind shopping with them, as long as they didn't take us to Victoria's Secret. Riku and I had some pretty awkward experiences at that store! I don't like to talk about it, but it was brought on by the posters of the half-naked girls. How was any guy supposed to react to that? Since then, we would go to GameStop or something while they went in Victoria's Secret. After American Eagle, we went to Hot Topic. That was my favorite store in the whole mall. I bought an awesome As I Lay Dying shirt that had a large skull on the front and had the band's name clenched in its teeth.

In the store, I noticed something that seemed out of place. I saw a little white doll on the shelf next to me. It was one of the little ones that are made of cloth and are stuffed with cotton and looked like a voodoo doll. The sight of it made me very uneasy because its arms and legs were longer than they should have been. Its right arm was sticking out and pointing to the back of the store. "What the…" I said. I turned to look in the direction the doll was pointing. I saw the tall man in the suit behind the door that said "Employees Only." He was staring at me through the little window at the top of the door. "Riku, Kairi, Namine," I said, "let's get out of here."

"Ok, but what's got you so worked up?" Riku said, holding Namine closer to him.

"I saw 'him'," Is said. "He's in the store!"

"Let's go then," Kairi said. I could tell that she was scared. She wrapped her left arm around my waist and I put my right arm over her shoulders as we slowly walked out of the store.

We finished our day at the mall. The ride home was very tense. Kairi was constantly looking out the window for Mr. Tall, dark, and demonic. I feared for her life, and her sanity. Her eyes were wide open and she was shaking like a leaf. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to comfort her. "Love you, Kairi. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

"I love you too, Sora," she said. I wouldn't let this…Slenderman take Kairi away from me. I had to find a way to stop him before he killed any more of my friends.

We arrived at my house later than we expected. Riku wouldn't drive as fast as he usually did. Namine would be staying with us tonight. Her parents said they didn't mind. We didn't tell them about Slenderman, but they wouldn't have believed us anyway. I turned the key to open the door, but it wouldn't work. None of the keys worked. Dad must have taken the house key off my keychain by accident. I looked under the flower pot for the spare key and unlocked the door.

Sitting on the couch, there was a creature. It wasn't Slenderman though. This one was shorter; probably no taller than Namine. It looked like a short, naked, emaciated man. It had pale, gray skin and its eyes were just black circles that looked like they would swallow you into an abyss. We stared at each other for about five minutes. Neither of us made a move. Suddenly, the creature jumped on all fours and darted through the house and out the back door through the doggie door we had built for my dog that died last year. Riku and I grabbed some boards and nails. We sealed the doggie door so whatever that thing was wouldn't be coming around any time soon.

"What was that thing?" Namine screamed. "Don't tell me that thing is following us around too!"

"Looks like Slenderman isn't our only problem," Riku said. "That thing didn't look too friendly."

"Ok, guys," I said. "Let's not panic. We've just sealed off the only entrance to the house."

"I hope you're right, Sora," Kairi said. "I don't want to die!" She buried her face into my chest and cried her eyes out. I kissed the top of her head gently, trying to relieve her stress. It broke my heart to see her this way.

Riku had gone over to the chair and pulled out his laptop. Namine sat on the arm of the chair and ran her fingers through his long, silver hair. He searched for anything similar to what we had just seen. Multiple accounts of the same creature appeared. Some of them were journal entries, some were news reports, and some were suicide notes.

"Apparently, this thing goes by 'The Rake'," he said. "It's been hunting people for centuries. This journal entry here is dated for 1492. It's was written by a crew member on one of Christopher Columbus' ships."

"Do any of them say how to stop it?" I asked.

"No. In some cases, it left them alone and their entries keep going without any mention of him. Other times, they end with the person saying that it's either going to kill them, or they'll kill themselves. They really didn't want to die by its hand!" Riku said with his voice full of despair.

"What are we going to do?" Namine said. "I don't want to die, Riku!"

Riku walked over to her and comforted her in his arms. "You're not going to die, Namine. I won't let that thing get anywhere near you." He kissed her gently on the lips. She twisted her fingers through his hair and pulled him in to kiss him again. She kissed him harder than I had ever seen them kiss before.

She pulled away from him and stared into his emerald eyes with her sapphire eyes. "You saw how fast it was, Riku. It could kill you before you even knew what was going on!" she said. Tears poured from her eyes.

"Well, we can't just give up!" I said. "There has to be something we could do!" I didn't even really believe what I was saying. I didn't even know what these things were!

The rest of the night was tense. We decided to take shifts sleeping. One of us would stay awake while the other three slept. I took first watch. It wasn't a problem for me because I stayed up late anyway. I thought I saw something from the corner of my eye. I turned and there was nothing. "Maybe it was just a cat," I said to myself. There was a loud banging sound on the front door. I almost didn't get up to see who it was. But after the second knock, I heard a familiar voice.

"Sora! Let me in! It's Roxas!" he said.

"Roxas, what are you doing here?" I said as I opened the door for him.

"It's Axel! He's gone missing," he said. Axel was his best friend. He knew that if he couldn't contact Axel, something was seriously wrong.

"Don't panic," I said. "Maybe his phone is just messed up. Did you try texting him?"

"Yes, but he isn't answering that either. I don't know what's going on!" he said.

"Did you go to his house to check up on him?" I asked.

"No, that's why I came here, to get you guys to come with me," he said. Roxas was truly scared. I'd never seen him like this before. Zexion and Larxene's death must have really messed him up.

"Ok, I'll wake everyone else up," I said. I got them all up and they got dressed.

We rode in Roxas' truck to Axel's house. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He knocked again and the door gave way to his fist. It was like it wasn't even closed. I smelled blood throughout the house. We heard Axel scream a blood-curdling. I raced up to his room and opened the door. We got there just in time to see The Rake rip his heart out of his chest and watch Axel die slowly.

"Axel!" Namine screamed. The creature turned toward us and lunged our way. Roxas picked up the baseball bat next to the door and gave the creature a good grand slam to the head. The Rake reeled back in pain as it was flung across the room. Roxas ran over to where it landed and started to beat it harder and harder for what it had done. Its head was broken and bleeding when he was finished with it. The creature appeared to be dead.

"Way to go, Roxas!" Riku said. Roxas couldn't stop crying though. He had seen his best friend be killed by a demonic creature. I looked back over to where the Rake was, but the body was gone.

"Where is it?" Kairi said. "I thought you killed it, Roxas!"

"I don't know," he said. "How could it have survived that?"

"Because it's probably not even mortal," Riku said. "You can't kill it with normal weapons!" We had to find another way to fight these things. Three of us had already been killed. Only six of us were left. Things were starting to get out of hand. In the back of my mind, I wondered who would be next. I shuddered at the thought that it could be Kairi. I wouldn't let it happen! I'd die before I let those abominable demons take my love away from me!

We reported Axel's death to the police. They came and asked us what we saw. We told them that he was dead when we found him. They would have probably thought we killed him if we told him about The Rake. They would have never believed us if we mentioned it or the Slenderman. We were all dismissed after individual interrogations. Axel's gruesome death would haunt us all for the rest of our lives.

"Hey, we should all stick together. Roxas, call Xion and get her to come over here. We're obviously the targets. We need to get her over here before anything can happen to her," Riku said.

"Ok," he said. He dialed her number and explained everything to her. He told her to come here as soon as possible. Within minutes, she had arrived and we were all together.

"Hey, guys," she said. She looked like she had just crawled out of bed. Her short, black hair was messed up. She was wearing an oversized, gray Metallica t-shirt and gray short shorts. She wasn't wearing makeup, but she never wore it anyway. She was naturally beautiful. She looked a little like Kairi, but they weren't related. I always thought Kairi was prettier than Xion. I dated her once before Kairi and I got together. We constantly fought. We could never agree on anything. She seemed happier with Roxas and he was so happy. She was his first kiss, and actually his first real girlfriend. "I can't believe Axel's dead too," Xion said. She had been best friends with Roxas and Axel since before the rest of us even met them. She was taking it so hard.

"We can't believe it either," Kairi said. "I'm scared of who it will be next!"

"What are we going to do, though," Namine said. "We obviously can't kill it, so what's the point of fighting if it's just going to kill us all anyway?" She had a point. The way things were going, we would all die pretty soon. The body count was rising fast and we were running out of time. Three dead in two days! That meant if we didn't do something soon, we would all be dead before the week was over!

* * *

Author's Note: So, what do you think? I liked introducing The Rake into this story because not many people use him. The only things I've ever seen about him are the original creepypasta and a few scenes of the EverymanHYBRID series on YouTube. As you can tell, they're all starting to fall into despair. They don't believe they can win against The Rake and Slenderman. Do you think they can do it? And who do you think will survive until the end?

I do not own Slenderman, The Rake, or Kingdom Hearts.


	3. Slenderman's Curse

Riku took over my shift so I could get some sleep. Roxas would take over after him. I tried to get some sleep, but I couldn't. Axel's gruesome death kept replaying in my mind. We would all be cutting school tomorrow so we could try to find some answers. In the back of my mind, I knew it was pointless. We were all going to die anyway. It was just a matter of time. I tried to dismiss that thought, but it wouldn't go away. I tried to think about Kairi. I loved her so much. I wouldn't be able to take it if Slenderman or Rake killed her. I'd probably let them kill me if they took her because I wouldn't want to live anymore. Roxas would be driven over the edge if Xion died. He loved her more than anything. And Riku…Riku would die if Namine was killed. We had to stay strong and stick together. We proposed that we would win as a group, or we would die as a group. I was startled when I heard a knock on the door.

"Sora," the voice said. It was Kairi. "Sora, can I come in?"

"Sure, Kai," I said. She opened the door and crossed her arms as she walked over to my bed. She climbed the ladder up to the top bunk where I was and wrapped her tiny, frail arms around my waist. "What's going…?"

She cut me off. "Just shut up and hold me!" she said. She was broken inside. "This might be the last time we get to be like this, Sora!" She looked up at me with broken eyes. She pulled herself up to kiss me. Her lips were soft and sweet. I kissed her back passionately. I ran my fingers through her long, fiery red hair. She pulled away from the passionate embrace and buried her head inside my chest. I could feel her warm tears staining my worn, gray Iron Maiden shirt, but I didn't mind. She was hurting and needed me to be there for her. I held her close until she cried herself to sleep. I could sleep a little better knowing that the love of my life was lying next to me. I closed my eyes and drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I woke up that next morning and Kairi was still by my side. I pulled her crimson hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek gently. Her blue eyes slowly fluttered open and she turned to look at me. "Good morning, beautiful," I said.

"Good morning, Sora," she said. She kissed me quickly and got up to get ready.

"Sleep good, Kai?" I asked.

"Only because you were with me," she said. "Thank you, Sora."

"No problem, Kairi," I said. I looked into her eyes lovingly.

"Sora, I'm afraid. What Namine said last night really got to me. What if all the fighting isn't going to do any good? What if they're really going to kill us all? I'm not ready to die, Sora!"

"I'm not going to let you die, Kairi," I said. I tried to sound reassuring, but I wasn't too sure what I could do. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sora," she said. She went into the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed. She came out fifteen minutes later. I would take a shower later. I threw on a new pair of shorts and a clean t-shirt. "Let's get some breakfast, Sora," she said.

We went downstairs and saw that everyone else was already awake. Namine and Xion were watching some soap opera on TV. Riku was absently picking his acoustic guitar. I think he was playing Serenity by Godsmack. Roxas was pouring himself a bowl of cereal. "Hey, guys!" Roxas said.

"Good morning, Roxas," I said. "Did you guys see anything last night?"

"No, everything was clear," he said. "No telling when we'll see them again."

"Well, we can never be too careful," Riku interjected. "The moment we let our guard down, we die." His emerald eyes showed slight fear. Fear was something we didn't see in Riku that much.

"Oh, crap!" Roxas said. "I forgot some things at my house. I've got to go get them!"

"Ok, I'll go with you," I volunteered. We couldn't go anywhere alone. There was strength in numbers.

We drove my silver Ford F-150 to Roxas' house. It was about five minutes away from mine. We stepped out and walked into his house. His parents were at work so we let ourselves in. He walked up to his room while I stayed in the living room. If something happened, I was right there. Suddenly, I heard Roxas scream. I ran up to his room and couldn't find him. I looked around everywhere.

"Roxas! Roxas, where are you?" I called.

"Boo!" he yelled, jumping out of his closet and almost giving me a heart attack. I gave him a good punch in the arm and left a bruise.

"Why did you do that for?" I yelled. "I really thought you were in danger you idiot!" I was mad.

"What? I was just having a little fun," he said. We turned to walk out of his room when he stopped in his tracks. We turned around to see Slenderman standing next to his bed. We were frozen in his gaze and couldn't move. The monster sent one of its long, black tentacles toward Roxas. It pierced his heart.

"Roxas!" I shouted.

"Sora," he struggled to say as he coughed up dark, red blood, "You've…gotta…run! Tell…tell Xio…Xion…that I love…lo…loved…her!" Those were his last words. Slenderman pulled Roxas closer and grabbed his shoulders with his long, disgusting arms. They held him down as the tentacle that was in Roxas turned into two swords. Slenderman sliced Roxas in half before my eyes. One blade sliced up, and the other blade sliced downward. Roxas' blood and internal organs all fell out of his lifeless body and both halves of his face held a look of pure terror.

I made my legs move and ran out of the house. I started my truck and peeled out of his driveway. I was driving 50 MPH in a 25 zone. I made it to my house and practically fell through the door.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Xion asked. "And where is Roxas?" Her beautiful eyes were coated with a look of what I can only describe as absolute fear. She knew something was wrong. I looked and saw Roxas' blood all over me.

"Xion, I'm sorry. He's dead. Slenderman got him," I said, trying to hold back my tears.

"No!" she screamed as she buried her face into my chest, pulling on handfuls of my shirt. She got a little of Roxas' blood on her from my shirt. She cried harder than I had ever seen anyone cry in my whole life. "Roxas…why Roxas…why couldn't it have been me?" she choked through her heavy sobs. She couldn't handle it. Roxas was her true love. He had even told me that he was going to ask her to marry him after we graduated. That would never happen now. Roxas was victim number four. That left only five of us still alive. Half of us had been killed by these horrible demons. I couldn't believe he was gone too! And I had just yelled at him for an innocent prank. I felt absolutely horrible.

"Xion, Roxas loved you so much. His last words that he said while he was dying were, 'Tell Xion that I loved her'," I said. Kairi, Namine, and Riku walked into the room to see Xion crying into my chest.

"What's going on here?" Kairi said. She saw the blood on my shirt and face. "Where's Roxas? Is he…"

"Yes, Kai," I said. "He's dead. Slenderman killed him."

"Oh my God!" Kairi and Namine said in unison. Riku just looked at us. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"This is getting even worse by the minute, guys," Riku said. "First Zexion and Larxene, then Axel, now Roxas! We have to stop Slenderman and The Rake before we all die!" Riku was right. We really had to step up our game. It was obvious that we couldn't hide from this them. We needed to know how to fight them.

Xion slowly left my embrace and walked up to the room her, Kairi, and Namine shared and locked the door. She needed to be alone for a while. We would check up on her later. She had to recover from losing her boyfriend and best friend in a two day period. Our whole world was falling apart and it was all because we summoned these things.

"Hey, guys," Riku said, "I'm getting worried about Xion. She hasn't come out of her room yet." I had noticed we hadn't seen her all day. She could have at least come out to get something to eat.

"I'll go check on her," Kairi said. "Sora, come with me."

"Ok," I replied. We walked up to Xion's door and knocked.

"Come in," she said. She sounded like she was still crying. I understood that she was depressed. I would be if it were Kairi who had died.

We opened the door and what we saw shocked us.

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Author's Note: Hey, short chapter. Anyway, first cliffhanger. Roxas is dead now. 4 down, 5 to go. Things aren't looking too good for them. Stay tuned to find out what Kairi and Sora saw.


	4. To the Pits of Hell and Back

Author's Note: Hello again. Here's the continuation of the chapter before this. I tried harder to make this one a little better. The last few I've published in this and Shattered Hearts seemed a little sub-par to me. I promise this will be better. And the next chapter of Shattered Hearts will be better. I've also been debating on whether to write a part three for the "Black Dahlia" series. Let me know in reviews or PM's if you would like to see that. I enjoyed writing "My Black Dahlia" and "In the Arms of the Angels". I'll probably write one anyway just for the fun of it, but let me know if you want it published.

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Xion's arms were pouring crimson blood from the deep cuts she had inflicted on herself. There was a long, bloody knife lying on the bed next to her. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. But that's not the worst of it. She had a pistol pointed at her head and her finger was on the trigger!

"Xion! What do you think you are doing?" Kairi shouted.

"I'm sorry, Kairi," she said with tears streaming down her eyes. "I just can't go on."

"Xion, this isn't the way to handle this!" I said.

"Why?" she asked. "Either Slenderman or The Rake will just end up killing me anyway. Why should I have to wait on them to do it when I can get it over with myself?"

"Because we may find a way to stop them!" Kairi said. "You don't need to kill yourself!"

"What do I have to live for?" she asked. "Roxas is dead! I'd probably be next anyway." She tightened her grip on the trigger. I was afraid it would go off any second!

"Please, Xion! Don't do this!" Kairi pleaded. Xion looked at her with a broken look in her eyes. She had lost all the will to live. Her grip on the gun tightened and I thought she was going to pull the trigger. She closed her eyes and squeezed a little harder. The hammer of the gun pulled back, but Kairi lunged at Xion. She grabbed her arm and Xion discharged the weapon.

"Kairi!" I yelled. The gun pulled away from Xion's head and missed her, but the way Kairi tackled her, the gun shot Kairi in the stomach. She was bleeding profusely from the wound Xion had unintentionally inflicted on her. I ran over to my girlfriend and flipped her over on her back.

"Kairi, I'm so sorry!" Xion said. "That bullet was for me! I was the one who was supposed to die! I'm so sorry!"

"Ugh…I'm not dead yet, Xion," she struggled to say. I could tell she was going into shock. We had to get her to a hospital immediately! "It's a small sacrifice to keep you alive. You're my friend and I know you didn't mean to shoot me." I tore away the fabric of her shirt that was around the wound.

"Xion, get me something to put on her stomach to control the bleeding. We have to keep her from bleeding to death. And call 911 before you even do that." I was glad I took first aid classes. Xion dialed 911 on her cellphone and brought some towels to apply pressure to Kairi's wound.

"Kairi, I'm sorry," Xion apologized. She was trying to shoot herself, not Kairi. Her suicide attempt was very unsuccessful to say the least.

"It's ok…Xion," she said. "You d…don't have to k…keep ap…apologizing." Riku and Namine came running up the stairs.

"What happened? Did someone get shot?" Riku asked frantically.

"Xion accidentally shot Kairi. She was trying to kill herself, but Kairi pulled the gun away from her head and it shot her in the stomach. The ambulance is on its way," I said in one breath.

"Oh my God, Kairi!" Namine squealed. "Please don't die! Enough of my friends have died. Please don't leave us!" Kairi was Namine's best friend. They did everything together. Namine couldn't stand the thought of losing Kairi any more than I could!

The ambulance had arrived in record time. The ambulances around here were always great to be there as soon as possible. The placed Kairi on a stretcher and slowly carried her down the stairs to the ambulance parked outside. I insisted on riding with her.

We made it to the hospital quickly and I had to part ways with Kairi for now. The doctors had to treat her and I would have just gotten in the way. Xion, Namine, and Riku arrived right after we did and the four of us waited in the lobby for what seemed like hours. Riku had his arm around Namine. She was still crying. I myself was crying. I didn't want to lose Kairi. I knew she would be ok, but that still did nothing for the fear in my heart. Xion sat next to me and had buried her head in my arm. She couldn't stop apologizing. If she hadn't wanted to die before, she did now! "It's ok Xion," I said. "Kairi doesn't blame you. She's going to be ok."

"I'm so stupid!" she said. "Why did I have to be so selfish? I shot my own friend because I wanted to die! I really am a screw up!"

"You're not a screw up, Xion," I said, trying to comfort her. I knew it was an accident. I didn't blame her. Kairi just tried to be a hero. And she was a hero! If she hadn't been so quick to be selfless, Xion would be dead right now. "You're just a beautiful girl who is sad because you lost the most important person in your life! Its ok, you're not stupid. You're just grieving. I'm not mad at you and I don't blame you. Kairi was just trying to save your life, and she succeeded."

"Thanks, Sora," she said, looking up at me with her violet-blue eyes that were so much like Kairi's. "And you really think I'm beautiful?" she asked. I felt a little uncomfortable. I had dated her once before, but I was with Kairi now. I started to feel old feelings resurface. But I could never act on them. I already had a girlfriend. I wasn't about to cheat on Kairi! I loved her too much!

"Of course you are, Xion," I said. "Anyone with eyes can see it."

"Thank you, Sora. I really needed that," she said. She buried her face in my arm again.

A doctor came out of the room where Kairi was. "Are you four Kairi's friends?" he asked. He looked kind of young to be a doctor. He seemed to be around thirty years old. He may have just been fresh out of medical school. He had dark, tanned skin and long, silver hair. His eyes were a chocolate brown. His nametag read 'Xehanort'. I wondered what kind of name that was.

"Yes," I said. "Is she ok?"

"She's going to be fine," Xehanort said. "She just needs a while to recover. She's not awake yet, but you can see her when she wakes up. She's a fighter. Normally, people who are shot where she was are a lot worse off than she is! We're lucky it didn't puncture any of her internal organs." Xehanort seemed like a nice guy. He was a doctor after all.

"Thank you, Mr. Xehanort," Xion said.

"Just doing my job," he said with a smile on his face. "I live to help people like her."

"Thank you," I said. Xehanort nodded and walked into another room. He probably had more patients to take care of. We waited in the lobby for about an hour when a nurse came to us.

"Kairi's awake and ready to see you," she said. We walked to her room and opened the door. She was in the bed on the far side of the room next to the window. She was staring out of it with a look of deep thought. She was wearing a hospital gown and I could see a bulge under it on her stomach. I figured that was her bandages.

She looked over to see us when we walked in and smiled. She cringed after the smile. It probably hurt to smile. "Hey," she said.

"Hey, Kairi," I replied. "How do you feel?"

"Like I almost died," she said. "But I didn't." She tried to smile again, but couldn't find the strength.

"I'm so sorry, Kai," Xion said.

"It's ok, Xion," she said. "I know you didn't mean to shoot me. I don't regret saving you either." I could tell she was in so much pain. With every word that escaped her sweet lips, there was a price of pain. She was hurting and it hurt me to watch her suffer. But I knew that she would muddle through and be ok. This was Kairi; she wouldn't even let something like a bullet stop her.

A couple of days passed. I stayed with Kairi in the hospital room the whole time. We hadn't heard from our little friends in a long time. I was wondering if Slenderman and The Rake had given up. I started thinking. We hadn't heard from our parents in a long time. Mine should have been back from their honeymoon by now. I picked up my cellphone from the small, bedside table next to Kairi and dialed dad's phone. Someone answered.

"Hello," I said, "dad?"

"Daddy's not here, Sora!" a thin, raspy voice said. The sound of it chilled me to the core.

"Who are you?" I said. "What have you done with my family?" I was mad. I was hoping that this was just a joke and dad would get the phone back from an idiot friend or something.

"You know who we are," it said. "We grew tired of hunting you so we played with your families. They weren't fun to play with either. You all die too easily. All the others in the past put up better fights than this. This is almost boring because it is so easy." They had killed our parents? But, why?

"You didn't! Oh my God you didn't!" I was fuming with pain and anger. If I didn't hate Slenderman before, I really hated him now. "I'm going to make you burn in Hell for this!

"We've already been there. It's really nice around this time of year," Slenderman said mockingly. "We'll finish playing with you first. Then you all can join us in Hell! Won't that be fun?" The phone clicked off. Kairi shuffled under the blankets and woke up in time to see me throw my phone across the room and watch its glass touchscreen shatter into a million pieces.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Kairi asked with concern in her broken eyes.

"I don't want to worry you, but you do need to know," I said. She tilted her head to the left and her lava-red hair fell along with it and her eyes seemed to well up with tears. She knew something was wrong and it pained me to tell her, but she deserved to know and needed me to be there for her. "Our parents are dead, Kai! Slenderman killed them," I said. I had to choke back sobs just to keep my voice from faltering. The tears that had welled up in her eyes were released in a massive flood. I walked over to her and lay down next to her on the bed. I wrapped my arms around her and held her as tight as was safe with her injuries.

"No! When will the killing and death stop?" she screamed into my chest. "Our parents? What do these demons want?"

"They want us dead," I replied. "That's all they want. They're out for blood."

"This is all my fault, Sora!" she cried. "I just had to make us go to the house and use the board! They're all dead because of me!" She was completely depressed. She needed me to be there for her.

"This isn't your fault, Kairi," I said. "You didn't know that it would summon Slenderman."

"Ignorance doesn't change the fact that innocent people are dead, Sora! I messed up. I have to make this right!"

"Then let's do it together. We still have each other. And Riku, Namine, and Xion are still alive," I said. "We can still win." I don't know how, but I somehow believed those words. I had a gut feeling that we would win this.

"Thanks, Sora. I love you," she said. Kairi leaned closer to me through her pain and kissed me passionately. It had been so long since I had tasted her beautiful, full lips. I felt like a man who had wandered through a dry desert and had finally found water. I returned the kiss, being careful not to hurt her. It was like paradise in her arms. A little bit of Heaven in the midst of an infernal Hell. I ran my fingers through her crimson hair and became lost in her embrace. We eventually stopped, but she didn't leave the embrace. Kairi fell asleep in my arms and slept the rest of the night. I eventually fell asleep next to her. I didn't sleep soundly though. I had the worst nightmare I ever had, or ever would have in my whole life.

I was lying next to Kairi on the top bunk of my bed in my room. She was sound asleep. Something didn't feel right. I looked all over my room, but I didn't see anything. I tried to go back to sleep, but the feeling wouldn't go away. I took another look. This time, I looked under the bed at the bottom bunk. What I saw disgusted me.

I saw Riku. His eyes had been gouged out and he was covered in blood from where he bled out of the large wound on his neck. The wound was so large; it looked like his head was almost cut off. Namine's dead, naked body lay on top of him. She was missing her arms and legs. Her face was that of absolute horror. She looked like she had seen her murderer, and it looked like he had made her last moments a living nightmare. There was a large hole in her exposed chest where her heart had been removed. I had the feeling that it wasn't the forcible amputation of her limbs that killed her. Her heart was lying on the floor next to the bed. Xion was nowhere to be found, but I assumed she was dead too. I tried to wake Kairi up, but she wouldn't wake up. It was almost like she was dead too, but she was breathing. I looked out to the large window on the far end of the room. A tall, black, faceless figure was standing outside on the patio's roof. He looked at me with curiosity.

The room became dark and I felt like I was getting colder. I started falling into the deep, black abyss. I looked down and saw a glowing red light underneath me that was getting brighter…and hotter. It felt like I was falling forever; like I was falling through the earth.

I finally landed on a large ledge. The dismal landscape went as far as the eye could see. The whole land was on fire. Plumes of fire were erupting from vents in the ground. Lakes of lava were strewn across the broken terrain. I was in the very pits of Hell. I could hear the tortured screams of condemned spirits all around me. Thousands of monstrous creatures were lurking about. They were torturing the poor souls of countless men and women of all ages, races, and walks of life. I turned around to try to find a way out, but when I turned, I was greeted by the last person I ever wanted to see.

Slenderman was standing before me. I gazed into his horrible visage. Well, I would have been if he had a face. All I saw was that abominable blank slate he called a face. "Welcome," he said. "Are you ready for your eternal torment?"

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "Please, just let my friends go! You can keep me, just let them go!" I knew it wouldn't do any good to beg, but what more could he do to me? I was already in Hell, things couldn't get much worse.

"Sorry, Sora," he said with a delighted tone in his voice. He wasn't sorry; he was relishing the fact that I had been reduced to begging. "I can't do that. You and your friends summoned me. You all have to make me leave. I'll kill you all before you can even figure out how to start the rite. But don't worry, I'll tell you all in person how you could have saved yourselves when you're all in my little corner of Inferno." Two demons suddenly grabbed my arms and dragged me along the rough terrain. The sharp, hot rocks broke my skin and the pain I felt was amplified. They dragged me to a cliff overlooking one of the many lava pits. The souls of Riku, Namine, Xion, Larxene, and Roxas were lined up next to me.

One by one, they were cast from the cliff and landed into the fires below. I heard their tortured, painful screams as their souls burned in the eternal Hellfire. I was next. The demons picked me up by my arms and legs. They carried me closer to the brink. I didn't bother to beg them to put me down. I knew my fate was sealed. I closed my eyes as they hauled me over the edge. The burning air seared my skin. I would land in the lava any second. I felt the flames licking my body. Just when I made impact with the liquid fire, I suddenly woke up.

I sat up with a start. I was back at the hospital in the bed next to Kairi. Someone had moved me in the middle of the night. They probably did it so I wouldn't hurt her in my sleep. I was drenched in sweat. I looked all around me. Riku was sleeping in the armchair at the foot of my bed with Namine on his lap. She had her arms around his neck and was leaning on his chest. Xion was sitting in the other chair at the foot of Kairi's bed. She had her earphones in and her iPod on her lap. I was relieved that we were all still alive.

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Author's Note: So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Decent? Who do you think will die next and who do you think will survive to the end? Stay tuned for more action. Review button is right below this text. Remember to let me know if you want to see a part three of the "Black Dahlia" series. Take care friends...


	5. Tough Decisions and a Powerful, New Ally

Author's Note: Here's the fifth chapter of Shadow of the Slenderman. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Writing is a passion of mine and I have so much fun doing it. Enjoy...

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Xion turned her head around to look at me. "Well, you finally woke up," she said. "We were starting to get worried. You were screaming for a while and crying and sweating. What were you dreaming anyway?"

"Something awful, that's what I was dreaming," I said. She came over and sat on the bed next to me. I told her about my dream where we all went to Hell and Slenderman was our eternal tormenter. Her eyes grew wider as I told her. I also told her about our parents. She cried for a while before speaking up.

"We've got to do something before this gets out of hand," she said. "We need someone who is an expert at dealing with stuff like this. But who do we know that can help?"

I thought long and hard about who could possibly help us. I ran through every face in my mind. Only one came up, but I didn't really like the thought of him helping us. "Well, I can only think of one," I said. "You're not going to like it, but I think we need to get Vanitas." Vanitas was my cousin. He was a high-ranking member of some cult. My parents made him stay away from us a long time ago because they caught him sacrificing a chicken or something to Lucifer. I didn't like the thought of it, but it seemed he would know how to take care of demons.

"Are you sure Vanitas is our only option?" Xion was fully aware of Vanitas' past. "Don't we know any priests?" she asked.

"You know how long those things take. We need someone who can be here fast. We may not have much time left!" I replied.

"Ok, but I don't like the thought of that freak helping us," she said. "How are we supposed to even trust him? What if he took Slenderman's side?"

"Because he didn't call on Slenderman," I reassured her. "He only works with demons he summons himself. Besides, he's family. I know he'll help me. He's not that much of a bad guy." It was true. Vanitas wasn't 'very' bad. He just wasn't someone you wanted to make mad. He was very quick to anger though. A few years ago, he was insulted by this kid on a bike. The kid called him a freak. Five minutes later, the kid's bike fell apart while he was going down a hill. It may have just been a coincidence, but it was still kind of suspicious.

"Ok, but I hope you're sure about this Sora," my raven-haired ex-girlfriend said. She sighed and walked back to her chair. She turned away from me to look out the window at the moon. She didn't turn her music back on. She was probably thinking the same thing I was. And that thing was why on God's green Earth I would resort to asking Vanitas for help. But, he was a specialist. He not only was a very high-ranking member of his religious group, but he had also studied various occult topics. One of the few times I went to his house, I had snuck into his room. He had hundreds of books on sorcery, religious topics, and demons. If anyone could help us dispel Slenderman, it was Vanitas.

It wasn't long before Xion drifted off to sleep. She fell asleep just in time for Namine and Riku to wake up. Namine's long, blond hair was messy and tangled from the stress we had all been through this past week. Riku didn't look much better either. His silver hair looked just like Namine's. He was as much of a wreck as the rest of us. "Hey, Sora," Namine said, "you're awake."

"Yeah, I've been awake for a few minutes," I said. "I was just talking to Xion about how we're going to get rid of Slenderman." I told them both about the dream and about our parents and about my plan to recruit Vanitas. As soon as I mentioned Vanitas, Riku spoke up.

"We are NOT getting his help!" Riku said. Riku couldn't stand Vanitas. I felt as if something had happened between them that I didn't know about. There was a lot about Vanitas I was completely unaware of.

"Riku," Namine interrupted, "this may be our only chance to save our lives. I don't like Vanitas either, but Sora does have a point. Vanitas knows a lot more about this kind of thing than we do. He may know how to stop Slenderman and The Rake."

"Ok, but don't expect me to like it," Riku said bitterly.

"Nobody's expecting that, Riku," I said. I asked Namine if I could borrow her cellphone. I explained to her that I smashed mine after Slenderman informed me of our parents' deaths.

"Ok, but don't go breaking it! I'm still under contract," she said. She smiled and handed me her pink Blackberry. It was very girly, but it was the only way I could contact my older, darker cousin.

I dialed Vanitas' number. I heard his familiar voice answer the phone. "Hello, who is this?"

"It's your cousin, Sora," I replied.

"Hey, it's been a while, Sora! How have ya been?" he said.

"I've been better," I replied. "That's what I was calling you about; do you know anything about a demon called 'Slenderman'?" I asked. He grew silent. I heard him sigh in annoyance.

"You didn't summon him, did you?" he asked with an aggravated tone.

"We may have accidentally summoned him on Halloween," I said sheepishly.

"Idiot! Do you even know what he's capable of?" he yelled. "He's going to kill until everyone who was present at the summoning is dead!"

"That's why I called. He's already killed our parents, Axel, Larxene, Roxas, and Zexion! It's just me, Kairi, Namine, Riku, and Xion left," I said, trying to hold back the tears.

He let out another sigh. "Did you use an incantation or a Ouija board?"

"Ouija board," I replied.

"Well, that makes it a little harder. If you had used a spell, you could have just sent him back the way you summoned him, with a counter-spell. But since you used a Ouija board, it will take some doing. I can be there in about 2 hours," he said. We would definitely need his help.

"Ok," I said. "We'll see you soon. We're at Radiant General Hospital in room 254," I said.

"Hospital?" he asked. "Why are you at a hospital?"

"Long story," I said. "In short, Xion tried to kill herself, Kairi tried to stop her, and the gun went off and shot Kairi. It just barely missed her stomach."

"Ok, I'll be right there. And tell everyone I said 'hi'," he said.

"Ok, see ya later," I said. He hung up. I gave Namine her phone and Riku just sat there silently. He didn't like the fact that we had to reduce to asking Vanitas for help. But what else could we have done? Sit there and wait to die horribly gruesome deaths? We needed to end this nightmare and Vanitas was our best bet!

"So…is he going to help us?" Namine asked. Her big blue eyes were lit up in anticipation and hope.

"Yeah," I said. "He's on his way."

"I have a bad feeling about this, Sora," Riku said. "What if he double-crosses us?"

"Without him, we die anyway. What difference does it make?" I asked dryly. "He knows more about this stuff than all of us put together. It's just a risk I'm willing to take."

"Ok, if you're sure about all this," Riku said as he leaned back further. He dozed off, but Namine stayed awake and moved over to my bedside to sit down so she wouldn't keep her boyfriend awake.

"Does Kairi know yet," she asked. "Has she been awake?"

"No, I just let her sleep. She needs rest after what happened a few days ago," I said.

"Well, she needs to know," she said.

"I need to know what?" Kairi asked. Apparently she was awake now.

"Kairi, how long have you been awake?" I said.

"Long enough to hear 'she needs to know'," she said. "What do I need to know?" She was cute when she was curious. The look she gave always made me want to tell every secret I've ever heard.

"We've recruited Vanitas to help us," I said. Her eyes grew even bigger than they normally were. They almost overtook her whole face!

"What?" she exclaimed. "Vanitas? Why do we need Vanitas?" She didn't like him either. But how could I blame my friends for distrusting him. I honestly didn't trust him that much either, but he was our only hope. Our lives were in his hands.

"It's either take a risk with Vanitas, or die anyway. Your choice," I said.

"I'd like a third option," she said, crossing her arms and pouting. She narrowed her eyes at the very thought of Vanitas.

"We don't have much of a choice, Kai," I said matter-of-factly. "Besides, he's on his way right now."

"Ok, but I don't have to trust him, right?" she asked. The look on her beautiful face told me volumes. She was afraid. She was unsure about the future. But most importantly, she trusted me with her life. I felt so much pressure being placed on my shoulders. I pretty much was playing Russian roulette with our lives. But what did we have to lose? Slenderman was going to kill us all if we didn't stop him. We needed someone like Vanitas.

Vanitas arrived at the hospital sometime later. He looked different than the last time I'd seen him. He was taller. He also looked exactly like me. But there were big differences. In the place of my brown hair, his was as black as the deepest Darkness. Instead of my blue eyes, he had glowing yellow eyes. I tried to tell myself that they were probably just contacts, but for some reason, I couldn't convince myself of that. "So…where's the Slenderman?" he said in a dry tone.

"We don't know," I said. "He hasn't attacked us in days. Is this normal for him?"

"No. He usually tries to do the job as fast as he can. Is he the only thing after you guys?" my dark doppelgänger inquired.

"No," Kairi spoke up. "Something called The Rake is after us."

"Oh," Vanitas said. "I can't help you with The Rake. I'm a Demonologist, not a cryptozoologist. He doesn't dwell in the realm of immortals like Slenderman does. He's completely mortal."

"But, Roxas tried to kill him and he got back up and ran away," Xion said, finally awake. "He beat its brains out with a metal baseball bat! How could it have survived that?" There was a slight hint of anger buried in the disbelief of her voice.

"I said mortal, I didn't say easy to kill. He's actually harder to kill than a vampire. But it is possible," Vanitas said. "But we can deal with him after Slenderman. Who did the Rake kill anyway?"

"Axel," Kairi responded.

"That's probably why Slenderman killed your parents. I'd say his are dead too. He needed blood to make up for the lost kill. He looked for the closest thing to you guys, but he had to kill all of them to satisfy his bloodlust. Just one set of parents isn't enough. It's nothing like the satisfaction he gets from killing one of you," Vanitas replied.

"Well, you said you'd help us," Riku spoke up. "Now, what do we have to do?"

"I'll have to see the place where this all happened. I also need the initiator of the contact to come with me, but only one other that was present. Whose idea was it to use the Ouija board?"

"Mine," Kairi said with a depressed tone in her voice. She still hurt because she blamed herself. Her big, broken eyes said it all. Her heart was breaking. We had all tried to convince her that it wasn't her fault, but it was no use.

"Ok, I need you to show me the place you made contact with the spirit. Who do you want to accompany us?" Vanitas asked. If you could say one good thing about him, he was patient. He was willing to take all the necessary time and precautions to do this right. No wonder he was so high up in his order.

Kairi sat and thought for a moment. She scanned the room, looking for one of us to go with her. Her eyes settled on me. "Sora, will you come with us?" she asked. She hesitated a little, but I knew she wanted me to be there with her in case something went wrong.

"Of course, Kai," I said. "I'd go anywhere, fight anyone, and risk anything for you. I love you so much!"

"Thank you so much," she said. "I love you too!" She motioned for me to come over to her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my lips. She kissed me like it was the last kiss we would ever share. And it could have been for all we knew.

"If you two are done, I'd like to get started right away," Vanitas said. "Are you ready, Kairi? If you need more time to recover, I could set a seal around this building. It would keep demons out."

"No, I'm ready. Let's get this over with," she said. She was the strongest person I had ever had the pleasure to know. I was so blessed to have a wonderful woman like her by my side.

"Ok. Where was the place located?" he asked.

"It was the old witch's house in the Hollow Bastion district," Kairi responded.

"Hmm," Vanitas said. "If it was the home of a sorcerer, then there should already be most of the stuff we need in that place. We'll go as soon as you're ready, Kairi."

"I'm ready, Vanitas," she said with false confidence. He didn't seem to notice, but the rest of us knew her better and could see right through her charade.

Kairi checked out of the hospital. We ran into Xehanort again and thanked him for what he had done. We stopped at my house and we all got a change of clothes. We realized we had been wearing the same clothes for four days. Kairi was wearing a gray tank top and gray short shorts. I put on a black, Megadeth "Rust in Peace" shirt that I had gotten when Kairi, Riku, Namine, Xion, Roxas, Zexion, Larxene, Axel and I went to a Megadeth concert last year. I wish I would have known that was one of the last concerts we would ever go to as a group. I wore it as kind of a tribute to Zexion, Larxene, Axel, and Roxas; a symbol of the great times we had. Riku wore a black shirt and dark jeans. Namine wore her pink Paramore shirt and light blue jeans with white flip-flops. Xion wore a black shirt that matched her shiny, black hair and jeans. Vanitas put on a special, red and black suit. I never figured out what it did, but it looked like human muscle; like his skin had been ripped off. It must have been a special "demon hunting" suit. He put on a round mask that covered his whole head. The visor was tinted black, but he could see through it.

"Let's do this," Kairi said reassuringly. "It's time to put an end to Slenderman, or die trying!"

"That's the spirit, Kairi," Vanitas said. "I had my doubts, but I now believe you have the power to do this. It won't be easy. It may take some sacrifice also." His voice darkened as he said that.

"You never said anything about sacrifice!" I yelled at my dark copy. I was very pissed to say the least.

"I'm not talking like a life or something," he clarified. "I mean just a little blood or something. Like kind of a blood seal. Nothing too drastic, I promise."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to save you all," Kairi said. "I'd even be willing to die if it came to that!" She was such a strong woman. I didn't deserve someone like her to love me. But for some odd reason, she loved me with all her heart. She walked over to me and kissed me one more time. She put all the passion her heart felt for me into that kiss. I savored it. I memorized the shape of her lips, the warmth of her embrace, and the taste of her tongue. It was the most wonderful thing I had ever experienced in my whole life.

It was so painful when she pulled away from me. I pleaded in my mind for her lips to rejoin mine in heavenly bliss. That silent wish was never fulfilled. "Well, I guess we should go then," Vanitas stated.

"Ok," I said, "let's get this over with quick."

We rode in Kairi's blue, 2008 Ford Mustang. It had been the present from her parents for her sweet sixteen party. She drove silently to our destination. She would occasionally wince from the wound to her abdomen. She tried to hide it, but I could tell she was still in pain. People don't recover from gunshot wounds like that in five days.

"So…Vanitas," I said, trying to break the silence, "how has it been lately?"

"I've been fine. I'm growing more powerful every day. I learn more and more as time goes on," he said. "I hope to one day succeed my group's leader and become head of the Cult of the Unversed."

"Good for you," I said. He seemed like he was really happy in his life.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he said as he stared out the window. We were only a few miles from our destination. I could see the house from where we were. We were about to reach the place this all began. It would become the place where it all ended…one way, or another!

* * *

Author's Note: Oooo, the story is reaching the climax! They return to the old witch's house to try to put an end to this madness once and for all. Can they succeed in banishing Slenderman back to Hell? And don't forget about our little friend, The Rake. He's still lurkning around out there...waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike!


	6. The Ritual of the Void

Author's Note: This is a little quick between updates. This is not a filler by a long shot! I normally take more time to write these, but I couldn't flesh this particular chapter out any longer than this without making it boring. Next chapter will be longer, promise. Enjoy...

* * *

We finally arrived at our destination. Kairi slowly pulled into the front yard and parked her car. Her hands were trembling as she pulled the keys out of the ignition. I placed my left hand on her shaking right hand. She turned to look at me with those beautiful eyes and faked a smile. She was scared, I was scared! I even think Vanitas was a little uneasy. It was hard to tell what his expression was through that mask. I wondered how his spikey black hair even fit in that thing. But, I'd seen so much insanity lately, I didn't question anything anymore.

I got out of Kairi's car and walked over to the driver's side to help her get out. I wrapped my arm around her waist as we walked to the old building. It seemed like it would fall down any minute. It looked bad when we came here last week, but it looked even worse now. The windows were broken, the front door was missing, and it reeked of the smell of death. That smell was something I'd become far too acquainted with. I'd witnessed two of my best friends brutally murdered by a demon and saw two more after they had been mutilated. The thought of those nights brought back so much pain. We had to avenge them!

Vanitas went ahead of us to check out the basement. I stayed upstairs for a minute with Kairi. "Are you ready?" I asked.

Kairi sighed. "I think so," she said. "But I have a bad feeling about this, Sora. I can't explain it, but I have the feeling one of us won't be leaving!"

"It's going to be ok, Kairi," I reassured. "Vanitas knows what he's doing."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said. "I know he's your family, but I don't trust him." Her eyes showed that she really, truly was afraid.

"Hey, you guys coming or not?" Vanitas yelled from the basement. "Let's get this over with!"

"We'll be right there," I yelled back. I pulled Kairi closer to me and gave her one, last kiss. I savored her sweet taste. I treated this kiss like it was the last one we would ever share. I loved her so much! I felt tears well up in my eyes and I figured she was going through the same. She kissed me back furiously. The kiss was broken by the heavy sobs that she involuntarily choked out.

"So…Sor…Sora…I…l…lov…love you!" she cried.

"I love you, Kai!" I said through my heavy tears.

"Hey! Get down her now, lovebirds!" Vanitas screamed. I wondered what had gotten into him. I grabbed Kairi's hand and held it tightly as we reluctantly trudged down the stairs to the basement where the most evil demon in Hell had been released.

Vanitas had already drawn a few circles in the ground and there was a bag of ingredients lying on the ground next to him. He had removed his mask for the moment. It was probably too dark for him to see with it on.

"Ok, first things first," he said. "We have to lay all these materials in specific places inside the pentagrams." He handed me a bag and Kairi a bag. He directed us where we had to specifically place each item. Some were simple as locks of hair from each of us. There were others though that I didn't particularly like touching. Dead rats, frog heads, and the heart of a small animal. "Ok, now," he said when we were finished. "I'm going to need both of you to make a small cut and get some blood into each of these circles. It won't take a lot, just cut your finger or something." We did as he said and stepped back.

Vanitas started chanting something under his breath. I couldn't understand it, but it sounded like Latin or something. The room suddenly dropped several degrees in temperature. I felt the presence of something, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. It seemed like the room grew darker as well. The shadows seemed to take on a life of their own.

The circles started to glow with a sickening green light, and it seemed like a breeze picked up, but there were no windows. Suddenly, a portal opened up in the center of the room. I could see into it partially. The scene looked familiar. "It can't be," I whispered. Kairi heard me.

"Can't be what?" she whispered back.

"He's opened a portal to Hell," I answered. "But why did he do that now if Slenderman isn't here?"

"Because I have no intention of sending him back to Hell, idiot!" Vanitas said.

"What?" Kairi and I screamed in unison.

"You guys really are too gullible!" he said with an evil tone in his voice. "Do you know what kind of power I could have if I controlled Slenderman? This ritual is designed to bring him into my submission! I couldn't have done it without you both. It creates the only weapon capable of defeating him; the only weapon he fears. The Void Gear is now mine!"

"The Void Gear?" I asked. Instead of answering, he held out his hand and an unusual looking sword slowly materialized from a bright light. The sword was mostly red and black. It kind of was shaped like a key. The handle and the tip were shaped like mechanical cogs and both had a blue demon eye in the center of them.

"I now have unlimited power!" he said. I felt an aura of power radiating from him. He wasn't kidding; he was seriously the most powerful sorcerer on the planet now!

"You traitor! You son of a…" Kairi didn't finish her sentence. Vanitas raised his free hand and pushed her back into the wall on the far side of the room without even touching her. It was like something from Star Wars. She crashed into the wall and was knocked unconscious.

"Kairi!" I yelled. "How could you, Vanitas?"

"You should understand, Sora! Haven't you ever wanted all the power necessary to make your dreams come true? I promise to make Slenderman leave you alone when I take control of him!" he said. He truly was insane.

"I'd never resort to this, Vanitas!" I screamed. My heart was broken because of this sudden betrayal.

"Suit yourself," he said as he turned toward his Hell portal. "Slenderman, come to me and be my slave!" About that time, Slenderman crawled out of the portal and towered over us.

"I serve no man!" he said in his thin, dry voice.

"But…but…I have the Void Gear! You have to obey me!" he said as he lunged at Slenderman. Slenderman caught him with his tentacles. Three of them pierced Vanitas' chest.

"But you don't know how to use it, apparently," Slenderman replied. I watched as he pierced Vanitas' body with more spikes.

"I…I…This…is…no…not fa...fair…" Vanitas choked out through blood and pain. He was bleeding from the wounds in his chest and he was coughing up blood. His eyes turned glazed and he dropped the Void Gear as he died horribly. I watched in horror as Slenderman tossed his body into Hell and I had a feeling his soul went along with it!

"Foolish mortals," Slenderman said mockingly. "They always think they can stop me with the Void Gear, but they don't take the time to learn how to use it properly before they summon me!" He turned his back to me and looked at Kairi. "Ah, this soul seems even more pure than the rest. I will have fun with her in Hell."

I jumped up and took the Void Gear. "Over my dead body, Slenderman!" I yelled.

"The little hero finally fights back? Oh, what a marvelous day this has turned out to be!" he said.

"I'm fighting back because you threatened Kairi! I know I probably won't win, but I have to defend her! I just pray that God will have mercy on me!" I yelled. I knew I would probably die, but I didn't care! Kairi was more important!

"What makes you think there's a God?" he asked.

"You're here," I stated simply. "If there's a Devil, there has to be a God!"

"Great observation, but that doesn't change your fate!" he said as he charged at me with his tentacles. I instinctively sliced with the Void Gear. It cut off the tendrils that he sent my way. He reeled back in absolute agony! I actually hurt him? I jumped over the Hell portal to him and came down on his shoulder hard with the sword. He screamed in pain! I was actually winning!

I made the mistake of getting too excited over my apparent victory. I let my guard down and he slammed me across the room with his long arm. I made impact with the wall and it felt like it broke my back. I couldn't move! I probably had broken my spine! He slowly walked over toward me like a lion on the prowl. I looked up to him and saw every nightmare, every failure, and every disappointment I had ever experienced in my life. I closed my eyes and awaited my end!

* * *

Author's Note: Another cliffhanger! So what do you think? Will they defeat Slenderman? Or will they all die and join Vanitas in Hell? Next update will probably be...I don't know. I have a research paper to work on for my English 101 finals so I won't be able to write as much as before. This paper has to be absolutely perfect so it will probably take up most of my time. My professor is hard and he'll fail you for even one small mistake. But, he has made me strive to be a better writer over the semester. Wish me luck. :)


	7. The Myth of the Keyblades

Author's Note: Hey, guys. Here's the second part of the previous chapter to resolve the cliffhanger. Switch to Kairi's point of view for the sake of the story's flow. She is, after all, the true main character. Thank you to all the people all over the world who have read this. And special thanks to all the guys from Ultimate-Guitar's forum. The encouraging words from The Pit's Nightmare Inducement thread have really helped. That is also the forum where I heard about Slenderman and The Rake. Check it out for some really good scary stories. Enjoy friends...

* * *

I didn't know how long I'd been out. I woke up to see Sora being held over the Hell portal by Slenderman. I guessed Vanitas' plan didn't work out too well. Vanitas was nowhere to be found. The Void Gear lay beside a pile of debris near me. I tried to make myself move, but sharp pains shot through my chest and abdomen. I looked down and saw the front of my gray tank top was covered in blood. "Great," I thought. I had re-opened my gunshot wound. I'd probably broken a few ribs too. I started crying as I had to helplessly watch my boyfriend get ripped apart by the awful demon.

"Sora, how does it feel knowing these are your last moments on earth?" Slenderman asked him. "How do you feel knowing you wasted them in a futile attempt to destroy me?"

"At least I die knowing that I protected Kairi the best I could," he said. He coughed up blood from where Slenderman had impaled him with a tentacle. In an act of defiance and pure hatred, Sora spit some blood on Slenderman's 'face'. Sora looked over toward me and mouthed, "I love you." He smiled and I tried to smile back.

I mouthed, "I love you more," as I watched Slenderman drive the tentacle further into Sora's chest. Another tentacle squirmed its way up to Sora's head. It fastened itself around his skull and gave a quick, sharp twist. Sora's neck snapped effortlessly as his body was dropped into the Hellfire below us. "Sora!" I screamed with tears streaming down my face. I didn't care if Slenderman heard me. But he did hear me. I managed to stand. I quickly staggered across the room and grabbed the Void Gear. I aimlessly slashed at Slenderman and got in a few lucky hits. I soon realized however that I was outmatched. I turned and ran up the stairs. My stomach and chest still hurt from the injuries, but I ran through the pain. Sora was always telling me I was a strong woman, so I tried to honor his memory by proving him right. I was crying so hard at the thought of him. Why did Slenderman have to take him from me?

I made my way through the cluttered house. I didn't look back to see if Slenderman was behind me. I didn't have time to care. I stumbled over to my blue Mustang and hastily started the ignition. I peeled out of the driveway so fast, my tires squealed in protest. Thankfully, the police never came down through here because I was going at least 90 MPH! I was a good driver, but only because my dad taught me very early. My heart pained at the thought of my parents. Slenderman killed them too. I hated that demon so much! He was taking everything away from me! He would pay. I looked over to the Void Gear that lay in the passenger's seat. Slenderman said mortals never learn how to use it; well, I would! I'd learn everything I could about this thing and how I could use it to send that monster back to Hell. Sora's death wouldn't be in vain!

I skidded to a halt in Sora's driveway. I grabbed the cursed sword and used it as a crutch as I stumbled to the front door. I knocked furiously. "Who is it?" a familiar voice asked.

"It's Kairi!" I screamed in pain. "Let me in, Riku!" He opened the door for me and I fell flat on my face into the comfortable carpet.

Riku looked at me with concern. He noticed my blood-stained shirt and the mysterious sword in my hand. "What happened, Kairi? And where are Sora and Vanitas?"

"They're dead, Riku," I said, dropping the Void Gear and trying to choke back the sobs. I was unsuccessful and climbed into Riku's arms for comfort. I curled up in his warm embrace. It just wasn't the same as Sora's! "Vanitas double-crossed us and Slenderman double-crossed him! Then Sora died trying to protect me." I said as I cried heavily. I knew I looked like a wreck. My long, red hair was tangled and what little makeup I was wearing, I could feel running.

"Oh my God, Kairi!" he said softly, trying to hold back his own tears. He understood exactly how I felt. Sora was his best friend. I started to cry harder as he tried to comfort me. "Shh, it's going to be ok," he said while trying to sound reassuring. I knew that he was just saying that. No, it wouldn't be ok. Ok would mean that my friends weren't dead and I would have never summoned that horrible abomination.

Namine and Xion walked into the room and saw me crying in Riku's embrace. "What happened, and where are Sora and Vanitas?" Namine asked. Her big, blue eyes were full of an emotion that I had known all too well, fear.

"They're dead." Riku said soberly. "Slenderman killed them."

Namine and Xion started to cry. "No! This can't happen!" Xion screamed. She tried to hide it, but I knew that she still loved Sora. She would never try to take him away from me because she was too good of a person to do that, but I could tell she never got over him. Sure, she loved Roxas way more than she loved Sora, but the feelings she had for my dead boyfriend never left.

I asked Riku to check me for the pain in my chest. I was relieved to find out that my ribs weren't broken. I had just hit the wall too hard and my gunshot wound wasn't as serious as I had originally thought. I continued to cry in Riku's arms. I must have fallen asleep because I looked out the window and the sun had started to rise. I woke up and we were all on the couch. I was surrounded by Riku, Xion, and Namine. I half-expected to see Sora waiting there to comfort me and tell me everything would be ok, but that didn't happen. He was dead and I would never see him again.

I shuffled out of their embrace slowly and quietly so I wouldn't wake them. I went to the kitchen, Sora's kitchen, to pour myself a cup of coffee. Someone had taken the Void Gear and placed it on the kitchen table. The sight of it made me want to vomit. My boyfriend had died because Vanitas wanted to create that thing! I thought about Vanitas being tortured in Hell and smiled an evil smile of satisfaction. Where had my newfound cruelty come from? I didn't used to be like that! Sora's death had really changed me!

I looked out the window and watched the sun rise. Sora would have thought it was beautiful. Everything was beautiful to him. For some reason, he thought I was beautiful. I didn't think of myself as beautiful. Cute maybe, but not beautiful. Namine and Xion were far prettier than me. I closed my eyes and saw his smiling face. He looked at me with those deep, ocean-blue eyes that always made my soul melt. I wanted to run my fingers through his spikey, untamed, chocolate hair. I struggled to breath. The thought of him made my heart ache! My sobbing was uncontrollable. I set my coffee on the counter just before my knees buckled. My legs gave out and I came crashing down to the cold, tile floor. The impact hurt a little, but that pain was insignificant. The pain I felt when I was shot was insignificant compared to the pain my heart felt! I curled into a ball and silently cried. "Sora, please come back to me!" I whispered.

I lay there for a few minutes. I had no will to get back up. I felt a soft, gentle hand on my shoulder. "Kai, do you need someone to talk to?" a familiar voice said.

"Xion? Hey, I really don't know what to say," I answered.

"Just say what's on your heart, Kairi," she told me. "I know how you feel. I didn't think I would survive when I lost Roxas. I wanted to die, but you saved me. It's my turn to save you, Kai!" She helped me up and we sat down at the table. I tried to ignore the key-shaped sword in the middle of the table. I hated Void Gear, but I knew that it was our only hope. I had to remind myself there was hope. I was still alive and so were Riku, Namine, and Xion.

"Thank you, Xion," I said gratefully. "You're a true friend. And I know you still loved Sora. I could see it in your eyes, the way you looked at him."

"I'm sorry, Kairi," she said with tears in her voice.

"Don't be sorry, Xion. Sora was so easy to love," I said. I felt a smile stretch across my face and Xion smiled too. I was happy I had Xion here with me. If I wouldn't have saved her, I would be all alone right now.

We talked about all the good times we had both shared with Sora. We talked about dates gone wrong, dates gone right, and how much of an idiot he could be at times. We shared theories about how his hair was always so spikey. I didn't think it would, but it really helped. The pain eased as Xion and I conversed about Sora.

We weren't alone for long though. Riku and Namine walked in to check up on us. They were surprised to see us all happy and smiling. "Hey, what's going on here?" Namine said. "We came in here thinking you two would be sad. It looks like we were wrong."

"Oh, hey guys," I said. "We were just talking about Sora." Mentioning his name still hurt a little, but not as much as it did before Xion and I talked.

"It's great to see that you two are alright. We were getting worried," Riku said with obvious concern in his voice. "And we still have the predicament of Slenderman to take care of."

The mention of that name brought me off my high right there. My blood boiled as I felt my face contort into a look of hatred. I'd never hated anyone in my entire life before now. I didn't just want to kill Slenderman; I wanted to make him suffer like I had suffered. I looked down at the Void Gear. The two demonic eyes on its blade seemed to stare right at me. It was very unsettling. This demonic sword would have to be our salvation.

I told everyone that I would research the Void Gear and learn how to use it, but first I had to take a shower. I thought maybe the steam would clear my mind. I turned the water on until it was the desired temperature. I stepped in and let the water run over my body and soothe my tense muscles. It helped my body, but it did nothing for my tormented mind. I turned the water off and got dressed. I didn't have much to go with because I didn't plan on staying at Sora's house for this long. Thankfully, I had washed my blue Skillet shirt. I put it on and a pair of comfortable jeans.

Downstairs was pretty calm. Riku and Namine were curled up together on the couch watching some Lifetime movie. I could tell Riku wasn't interested, but Namine was absorbed by it. Xion was sitting on the chair next to them reading Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. She was totally into Twilight. I liked it, but I didn't understand what made so many people go insane. And the movies were disappointing compared to the books.

I sat in the chair across from Xion and pulled out my laptop. I googled 'Void Gear' and searched the results. There were all kinds of articles about it, but the most informative one caught my attention.

"_The Void Gear is said to be one of many ancient, mythical weapons of its kind that can destroy celestial beings. From Angels to Demons, the weapons known as 'Keyblades' are said to hold immense powers. The Void Gear is special in its variety as it is the only one capable of destroying the demon known as Slenderman. It is highly sought out by satanic cults so they may control Slenderman. It is said to be forged from the blood of a pure soul and the soul tied closest to them. The Void Gear can only be wielded properly by the purest soul_…"

The article continued on, but that was all I needed to know. I was the only one who could use the Void Gear on Slenderman and destroy him once and for all. I silently promised myself that, no matter what the cost, I would avenge Sora and save what was left of my friends. I would succeed even if it cost my life.

* * *

Author's Note: So...what do you think? Does Kairi's PoV measure up to when I was writing from Sora's point of view? Next update in a few days. I listened to a lot of old Linkin Park (Specifically 'With You' and 'Easier to Run') and Godsmack while I wrote this chapter. Until next time friends...


	8. Her Worst Nightmare Comes Alive

Author's Note: Hello again. It's been a while since I updated this story. I've been working on my research paper for English and I showed what I had so far to my professor. He said I was doing great. The story is almost about to wrap up. Just a couple of chapters left. I hope that the ending will be just as shocking as Sora's death was in the last chapter. Thank you to all of you who read and enjoy my work. I'm typing up a prequel to "My Black Dahlia" now along with "Hearts of the Olympians". Let me know if you want me to upload the third entry of the "Black Dahlia Trilogy". I'm definitely going to upload "Hearts of the Olympians" in a few days. Until then, enjoy Shadow of the Slenderman...

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The whole day went by without us seeing anything out of the ordinary. We were going to sleep in shifts tonight with me taking first watch. I watched for Slenderman, but he never showed up. I must have fallen asleep because I opened my eyes. I felt very groggy and I didn't even notice what was crouched right in front of me.

My vision started to adjust when I saw the horrible creature sitting at my feet. It was The Rake. He stared at me with his dark, empty eyes and I was frozen in fear. I didn't dare move for fear of arousing his wrath. He tilted his head to the side and looked at me with a puzzled expression. He was probably wondering why I didn't scream or run away or even fight back. Honestly, I was too scared to do any of those things. I saw what it did to Axel. I feared he would do the same to me, and then Sora's death would never be repaid.

I instinctively reached my right hand out to the side, feeling for something I could use. What I didn't count on was that Void Gear appeared in my hand. I gripped my small fingers around the handle. An expression of fear crept upon Rake's face. He was afraid of Void Gear too? His face contorted into a look of absolute hatred as he lunged at me, claws prepared to rip my heart out of my chest. I slashed toward him and caught him across the stomach. He flew to the other side of the room from the impact. He landed on Sora's DVD shelf, knocking over all the movies inside. He got back up and scurried toward me again. The Void Gear started to glow with a bright light. I pointed it toward The Rake and subconsciously murmured some archaic words I'd never known before. The tip of the blade unleashed a sharp beam of light that pierced Rake's body. He lost so much blood from the wound. The smell made me want to vomit. I could smell the rotting flesh of his previous victims. He curled up into a ball on the floor and died slowly. I'd seen him 'die' once before, but this time I made sure he was gone.

I dismembered him with Void Gear. Blood splattered on my clothes, but I didn't care. Once he was in pieces strewn across the floor, I picked them up and took them behind the house. I lit a fire using some old wood and paint thinner I found and threw his pieces into the flame one at a time. The fire died down and there was no trace of his broken body. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I went back inside and looked at the clock. My shift was over. It was time to wake Riku up and time for me to get some sleep. I went to Riku's room.

"Riku," I said gently, "time to wake up."

He mumbled as he tried to wake up. "Wha…what? Good morning Kairi."

"It's not morning, I'm waking you up for your shift," I said. He didn't get up right away. I devised an evil plan. I crawled behind the bed. Thankfully, it wasn't pushed against the wall all the way. I grabbed the mattress and heaved it up. Riku came crashing down to the floor and he groaned in annoyance.

"Ok, ok, ok, I'm getting up!" he said, irritated. He looked at me with his green eyes narrowed. I smiled from ear to ear and stuck out my tongue like a little child. After all I'd been through; I thought I deserved to be immature for once. Riku could never stay mad at me. He just chuckled and walked away. He was probably thinking about how childish I could be at times. That's why Sora and I were perfect for each other. We were both just kids in adult bodies. The thought of Sora made my heart ache worse than it would have if Rake had ripped it out! I climbed up to Sora's bed. It felt so empty without him. I cried softly as I drifted off to a disturbed sleep.

The nightmare I had was so horrible. I was in a dark room. I didn't know where I was, but it felt like I was in the past. People in black robes were standing around me, but they didn't seem to notice my presence. They were chanting in a language I didn't know. Just then, a portal similar to the one Vanitas opened appeared in the middle of the room. Slenderman crawled out of the hole and the people cheered. Their cheers turned to screams soon though. Slenderman's tentacles were writhing on his back, thirsty for blood. The scene was gruesome to say the least. Heads were rolling across the floor, bodies were being ripped apart, and people were falling, alive, into the portal to Hell. I heard their heartbreaking screams echo from the chasm beneath us as they burned.

Slenderman turned to me and noticed me. My vision blurred when I looked at him. I closed my eyes to clear them, but soon opened them wide when he plunged a slimy, sickening tentacle through my stomach. It was the same place I was shot. It went through my stomach and out the other side. I screamed in absolute pain as I felt blood pour from both sides of my body. The floor was staining with the same color as my hair. If Slenderman had a mouth, he would have been smiling at my anguish. I felt my life fading away. My breathing became labored as I was dying. The pain faded away as the arms of death were approaching. The pain returned, however, when he grabbed my arms with his tentacles and pulled outward violently. I heard my shoulders pop out and felt my skin rip as he tore my arms from my body. My vision started to blacken as I ceased breathing. I had almost given in to death.

I woke with a start, screaming at the top of my lungs. I was covered in sweat and I had a few clumps of my blood-red hair in my hands. Namine must have heard me because she came barging in the room. "Kairi! Are you ok? What's wrong?" she said frantically. "I heard you scream and thought Slenderman was here!"

"I'm fine, Namine," I lied. "I just had a bad dream."

"Ok, if you say so," Namine knew better than to dig too deep into this. Sure, she was my best friend, but she knew there were things that I would only tell one other person. And that other person was dead. I needed someone to open up to.

"Wait, Namine," I said as she was turning to walk away. "It's not fine. In my dream, Slenderman tortured me. He stabbed me in the stomach and ripped my arms off. It was very disturbing, but the worst part was it felt like I was actually dying! I could feel every ounce of pain as if he were doing it right now. I thought I was really going to die!"

"Oh, Kairi," she said with concern for me in her voice. "It's ok, it was just a dream."

"I know, but I'm going to have to face Slenderman eventually. What if that dream was a vision of the future? What if I'm going to die?"

"We'll be there with you, we're not going to let you die, Kairi!" she said.

"Things don't end well for people who try to protect me. I need to take action and not wait for someone to rescue me," I said. I thought about Sora and how he died to save me.

"We'll still be there, Kairi," she said. "You're our friend and we love you. We're not going to just leave you to die." I knew Namine would never leave my side. She was one of the only friends I had left. She leaned over and gave me a hug. I hugged her back.

She pulled away from the embrace and looked at me. "You know, Namine," I said. "Even if you guys are there, I'm still the only person who can kill Slenderman. You guys won't really be able to do anything to him. He could kill you."

"I know," she said. "And I don't care. You can't do this by yourself, Kai. Plus, I want to avenge our friends too."

"Thank you, Namine," I said. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"You're my best friend too, Kairi," she said. "Don't worry, we'll win this!" I had the strangest feeling that she was right. But at what cost would victory come? Which one of them would I never see again after this?

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Author's Note: Short chapter is short. I let Kairi have a good nightmare scene like Sora did. These nightmares they have, it is the actual Slenderman in their dreams trying to torment them. It's kind of like a Freddy Kreuger thing, but Slenderman can't really kill them in their dreams. He can just make them think they are dying. They could, in theory, have a heart attack and die as an indirect result of the trauma, but he can't really kill them himself in the dreams. Next chapter will be in a few days. Probably monday. Until then, take care friends...


	9. Shadow of the Slenderman

Author's Note: Hey guys. This will be the last chapter of Shadow of the Slenderman. I had most of this typed when I published the last chapter and I've been finishing it off since then. I finished it and proofed it. Remember to let me know if you want to see the third "Black Dahlia" story. Most of the first chapter is complete. It is Xion's PoV and it will be full of drama and tragedy. Let's just say that Xion and Kairi had a rough adolescence in that series. I may rate it T to start out with, but it might spike up to M for references to rape and all that. And stay tuned for "Hearts of the Olympians". It will be in the Kingdom Hearts/Percy Jackson crossover section. You could also, of course, just go to my profile and click on it in the My Stories section after I post it. Check out some of my favorites while you are there. I recommend "The Diary of Namine", "Stand There and Watch Me Burn", "The Skater and the Artist", "Pick Up the Pieces", "Whisper of the Beast", "Correspondence With a Demon", "His Broken Body", and "Rancoeur du Coeur". Those are my absolute favorites out of all the ones I have saved. I also recommend the "Horizon Trilogy" by Smileydomino. Until next time, friends...

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I went back to sleep and slept a dreamless sleep. The night went by really quickly in my deep sleep. I woke up early in the morning. I felt very groggy and my vision was blurry. I waited for a second for my vision to clear up. I fumbled down the ladder in my drowsiness and almost hurt myself. Riku was asleep in the bed below me. He must have fixed the bed back after he came back to sleep. Namine was lying behind him with her arms around his waist. They were still fully clothed, so at least they didn't do anything with me around. I tip-toed to the bathroom and took a shower. The images from my nightmare were still as vivid as they were while I was dreaming them. My shoulders even ached like they had been pulled violently. The hot water that ran down my body made it feel a little better. My gunshot wound was healed up now, so I didn't have to be careful with it.

I got out of the shower and got dressed. I didn't have very many clothes here, but Xion had brought some extra clothes and she let me borrow a shirt and shorts. I headed downstairs and got some breakfast. I slowly ate my cereal and stared out the window at the clouds in the sky. One looked like Sora's hair. I laughed at the similarities and my own delusions. I was seeing him everywhere. I felt a phantom tear roll down my cheek. It still hurt to think about him, but not as much as it did. I would avenge his death.

Xion walked into the room right after I finished my bowl of cereal and she sat in the chair next to me. "Hey, Kai," she said.

"Hey, Xion," I said. "Did you see anything last night?" I asked.

"No," she replied. "Neither did Riku or Namine. Did you see anything?"

"Actually, I killed The Rake last night," I said. "He attacked me and I killed him with the Void Gear."

"Seriously?" she asked with surprise coating her voice. "That's amazing!"

"It just materialized in my hand and it's like it possessed me. I started saying words I don't even know, and then a beam of light shot from its tip and went right through The Rake's heart. I cut his body up and burned the pieces."

"Wow," she said. We would sleep a little more peacefully knowing that Rake will no longer be a problem. We'd sleep even more peacefully after we fought Slenderman. And the scary thing was, that sentence could go either way. Finish him off and sleep peacefully, or die and rest in peace!

I sat alone in the living room and prepared for the inevitable. I had the awful feeling that I wouldn't survive this final battle. I tried to prepare myself to face the fact that I would, more than likely, die during this fight. The thought of it scared me. I wasn't ready to die! I was only eighteen; I hadn't even lived yet! Yet, I knew that I was the only person on earth who could save my friends. If I had to, I was willing to sacrifice my own life for them. I loved the three people in the next room more than anything else. I was just hoping that it didn't come to my death.

Riku walked into the living room where I was sitting. I looked up toward him and he stared at me with his emerald eyes. His silver hair was partially covering his eyes, but I could still see the fear in them. "Kai, are you sure you want to do this?" he said.

"It doesn't matter if I want to do this, Riku," I said. "I have to. I'm the only one who can kill Slenderman!"

"True," he said. "But I know it will be ok. I have faith in you."

"Thanks, Riku," I said. "You don't know how much that means to me." I stood up and walked over to him. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. He returned the embrace.

"Any time Kairi," he said. "You're one of the best friends I've ever had."

Just then, we heard a loud noise outside in the back yard. It sounded like Sora's shed had exploded. The four of us ran outside to check it out. We saw someone we thought we'd never see again.

It was Vanitas, but there was something different about him. His suit was black and white instead of black and red. He had a strange symbol on the visor of his mask. I recognized it as being the Unversed Emblem from his cult. He was also carrying a black and white version of the Void Gear. His entire being gave off the dark aroma of evil. It seemed like every demon in Hell had possessed him. He stood there, wordless, with his Void Gear in hand. Slenderman appeared behind him and I drew my Void Gear. I guessed the Void Gear could appear in my hand at will because it was made from mine and Sora's blood. "What are you doing here, Vanitas?" I screamed at him. "Why don't you just go back to Hell where you belong?" I screamed.

"He can't speak," Slenderman said in his dry, empty voice. "He's only Vanitas' Lingering Spirit. The real Vanitas is still in Hell. I intend to get this over with quickly so I may go back to him and have more fun with his tormented soul," he said with sickening happiness in his voice.

"You won't win, Slenderman!" Riku shouted. "We will stop you!"

"Hahaha, you know full well that Kairi and Sora were the only ones who could have killed me! I've already taken care of that fool Sora, now I'll kill his pretty, little love," Slenderman said happily. He was going to enjoy my death. "Vanitas, take care of these fools for me."

The fake Vanitas lunged at me with a heavy slash from his Void Gear. I raised mine and parried his strike. I slashed at him with my Keyblade. I got in a lucky hit with it and made his left leg bleed a little. He staggered as I went after him again. He slid out of the way and used the blunt end of his Void Gear to try to knock me off my feet. I jumped over it and buried my blade into the ground where his head was. I just barely grazed the top of his helmet. I looked toward his direction and he was charging me with his Keyblade. I unconsciously muttered the word, "Zantetsuken". I felt a surge of strength flow through me and saw Vanitas cringe in fear. He faltered as I slashed at him with the real Void Gear. The blade made contact with his stomach, passed through his midsection, and out the other side. I had sliced Vanitas in half. He stopped in his tracks as I looked back toward him. Blood poured from the wound I inflicted as his top half fell forward. He was still barely alive. His arms clawed at the ground as he bled to death. Slenderman just stared down at him with absolutely no pity or sympathy for his fallen pawn. Vanitas Remnant's body disintegrated into the ground and his imitation Void Gear disappeared into a cloud of dark fog that had the sulfurous smell of Hellfire. I didn't dismiss my Void Gear at the moment. I had a feeling I would need it soon.

"Good work, pure one," Slenderman said. "I honestly didn't think you would learn to use Void Gear so quickly."

"You wanna be next?" I asked.

"I think it is you who will be next," he responded. "It is a shame though, to kill one as pretty as you." He set his tentacles loose and made three of them come my way. I raised the Keyblade and cut them off. He teleported behind me and cut my leg. It didn't hit my femoral artery, but it still hurt like crazy. I screamed in pain. Slenderman just laughed at my anguish.

"Curaga," I yelled. I instantly felt my wounds healed. So what, I was a sorceress now?

"Impossible!" he said as he took a swipe toward me with his grotesquely long arm. I swiped back with Void Gear and chopped his left arm off. He reeled back in pain and astonishment. I felt power surging through my body. I felt unbeatable. My high was cut short though. He used the arm he had left to hit my away. I felt immense pain coming from my arm. Slenderman slowly walked over to me and prepared to finish me off.

"So, this is it," I whispered to myself. "This is how I die."

Slenderman prepared to finish me off, but something stopped him. His remaining hand was being held behind his back by something. I looked to see Xion tightly clutched around his form. "Let me go, pitiful human! I am the King of Hell!" he said as he drove tentacles into her body. Xion winced in pain, but held firm.

"Xion," I screamed. "Xion, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm buying you time. You have to stop him, Kai!" she said. She coughed up blood. "Please, do it now!"

"But what if I kill you too?" I said.

"Just do it!" she screamed.

I raised the Void Gear against my will and it charged up a beam of light. "I can't stop! Xion!" I screamed as the Void Gear unleashed the beam. It went through Slenderman's stomach and pierced Xion's chest. She screamed in pain as Slenderman disintegrated in front of us and she fell to the ground. I ran over to my dying friend. "Xion, please, Xion, don't die!" I cried. It was bad enough she was dying, but I was the one who inflicted the deadly wound on her!

"We did it, Kai," she said. She coughed up blood and her breathing became labored. "We destroyed Slenderman together!"

"But at the cost of your life?" she said.

"It's a small sacrifice to keep you alive. You're my friend and I know you didn't mean to shoot me," she said, quoting me from the time I saved her from committing suicide. I was crying so hard, I didn't know if Riku and Namine were standing above us or not. They were probably crying as well. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now."

"No, Xion!" I said defiantly. "We'll find a way to save you." I tried to cast that Curaga spell I used earlier, but it didn't work. All the magic that was within me had been put in that final attack.

"I'm going to die whether I want to or not," Xion said. "Nothing can stop it." Her eyes started to glaze over. "Roxas, is it really you? Hold on, Roxas, I'm coming! I'll be there in a minute." She turned back to me and looked up to me. Her indigo eyes were out of focus, but I could tell she was looking at me. "Kairi, I'll tell Sora that you said 'hi' when I get to the other side. You were the best friend I've ever had, Kai," she said. Her eyes rolled back into her head, but they didn't close. She took one last, painful breath and a smile appeared on her face. She exhaled for the last time. Xion died in my arms.

"Xion? Xion!" I screamed. I placed my head on hers and my tears were absorbed by her raven hair. I couldn't believe she was actually dead. She sacrificed her own life to save me! I felt so horrible. It was my fault they were dead. I blamed myself. Larxene, Zexion, Axel, Roxas, Sora, and Xion were all dead and never coming back! My heart ached at the thought of them all.

"Kairi," Namine said, "are you going to be alright?"

"No, I'm not you idiot," I snapped back. She cringed at the sound of my cruel voice. "I'm so sorry, Namine. I didn't mean…"

"It's ok, Kairi. I understand," she said. "You're sad about Xion's death."

"Sad is an understatement," I said. "And I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, Namine. I had no right to."

"It's ok, Kai. I probably would have reacted the same way," she said kindly. "Now, let's give Xion a respectful burial."

I picked up her lifeless body as Riku built a pyre in the backyard. I placed my dead friend on top of the pile of wood as Namine poured an accelerant on the wood. I picked Xion's Zippo lighter and cigarettes out of her pocket and threw the lighter on the fuel under her. She didn't smoke often. She had just started after Roxas died.

After the flame died down and we paid our final respects, we went back inside to take some much-needed rest. We had avenged our friends and destroyed the darkness of Slenderman. But our victory didn't erase the horrible pain we felt at the loss of our friends. Zexion, Larxene, Axel, Sora, Roxas, Xion, and all of our parents were dead and no victory against any demon would change that fact. We had a long road ahead of us and it wouldn't be easy, but Riku, Namine, and I would survive. No force on earth or in Hell would stop us! We finally destroyed the shadow of the Slenderman!

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Author's Note: So...how was it? Do you like the ending? Yes? No? Maybe so? Remember to let me know if you guys want me to publish the third "Black Dahlia" story in either reviews or PM's. I'm also working on "Hearts of the Olympians". I hope you guys enjoyed this and thanks for reading it. I'd also like to thank all the guys in Ultimate-Guitar's message board's Nightmare Inducement Thread. You guys have supported this since the beginning and I'm truly grateful. Until next time, friends...


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